Spinner



Patented Dec. 10, 1946 UNETED' STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a toy usable in primarily two different manners, one in the nature of the popularly designated yo-yo and the other as in the case of a pair of buttons strung on a looped string wherein the loops are pulled outwardly and released inwardly as the buttons wind and unwind substantially intermediate the ends of those loops.

A primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a unique stringing of the toy to permit secure anchorage of the string to the body of the toy whereby the one string may serve in both usages as above indicated without having to change the string attachment or disengage one member from another making up the toy.

Other advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the following description of one particular form of the toy with reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a view in end elevation and partial section;

Fig. 2, a similar View showing a modified form of string attachment;

Fig. 3, a view similar to that shown in Fig. 1 with the toy disposed for horizontal winding and unwinding between outwardly pulled looped ends of the string; and

Fig. 4, a view in side elevation.

Like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawing.

I mount a pair of disc like members EB and ll on a common pin I2 to have a space 33 left therebetween. The members it and II are rounded from their outer faces toward the inner opposing faces defining the space I3, these inner faces being planar and parallel one with another.

The members it and II are respectively provided with transverse passageways l4, l5 and l6, 5? extending transversely therethrough spaced from the axis of the pin E2 to have the passageways I4 and I6 on a common axis and the passageways I5 and I! on another common axis, the two axes being preferably 180 apart. In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, the member ID is first assembled on the pin i2 and then the end of a string I8 is placed along a side of the pin I2, and preferably across its outer end, and then the member I I is fixed over that end of the pin to compressibly engage the string within the member socket along side of the pin I2. The string I8 is threaded from along side of the pin I2 radially outwardly and then carried through the passageway l6 to the external face of the member II; thence diametrically across to enter 2. and be carried through the passageway IT on across the space 53; through the passageway I5; diametrically across the outer side of the member [0; back through the passageway I4 and thence outwardly between the members i8 and I I through the space i3 to extend by a desired length and carry in its outer end portion a button or stop member E9 of such dimensions that it may not be entered within the space I3. This forms a very secure anchoring of the string I8.

Referring to Fig. 2, a variation of the threading of the string through the members Ill and H is indicated. The members l0 and I I and the pin I2 may be identical with those members as iridicated in Fig. 1. In this instance however an end of the string i8 is provided with a knot 2!] in its end opposite the end to which the button 59 is secured. For securing that button IS, the free end of the string is carried from the knot 2:3 through the passageway I6; across the space l3 and on out through the passageway it of the member Ill; diametrically across the outer face of that memher In and back through the passageway l5; across the space I3; through the passageway I! of the member II; diametrically across the outer side of the member l I back through the passageway IE; and thence outwardly between the two members I9 and it within the space I3 to have the button l9 secured to its outer end.

In either form with the string extended as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the toy is then ready to be used in the usual manner by winding the string initially around the pin I2 within the space l3 (passing around the transversely extending portions of the string adjacent the pin [2) and then allowing the body composed of the members I53, I I and I2 to' roll downwardly in a string unwinding manner and then upwardly as the string rewinds.

However, the stringing of the string in either instance permits the toy to be used as indicated in Fig. 3 wherein the string I8 is pulled outwardly from the sides of the members It and II to form the loops 2i and 22 whereby the button I9 is pulled down to contact the two members Ill and II with the string I8 pulled tautly therefrom. Preferably the members I 0 and II are provided with the respective recesses 23 and 24 across which the string normally passes when in the positions indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, to permit the ends of ones fingers to be engaged about those portions of the string to pull them outwardly into the loops 2i and 22.

With the string thus looped the body of the toy may be rolled downwardly or upwardly over the body of the operator while he holds the loops 2| and 22 in outward positions so that those loops become twisted. Then by alternately pulling outwardly on the loops and then slightly releasing them, the body will spin on the string to wind and unwind.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the forms now best known to me, it is obvious that structural changes may be employed, all without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to those precise forms as may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A toy comprising a pair of members interconnected by a pin in spaced apart relation to form a, spool-like body; each of said members being provided with a pair of longitudinal passageways therethrough, the passageways of one member being longitudinally aligned with those of the other member; and a string having one end secured to said body and carried from said securement slidingly through said passageways to form a loop portion exposed on the outer face of each of said members between the respective passageways thereof, and thence from the inner end of one of said passageways outwardly between said members by a free length, whereby said free length may be retracted by pulling said loop portions outwardly from said members.

2. A toy comprising a pair of members interconnected by a pin in spaced apart relation to form a spool-like body; each of said members being provided with a pair of longitudinal passageways therethrough, the passageways of one member being longitudinally aligned with those of the other member; and a string having one end secured to said body and carried from said securement slidingly through said passageways to form a loop portion exposed on the outer face of each of said members between the respective passageways thereof, and thence from the inner end of one of said passageways outwardly between said members by a free length, whereby said free length may be retracted by pulling said loop portions outwardly from said members; the securing of said string end being by engagement about said pin, from which engagement the threading of the string comprises carrying the string outwardly through a passageway of one member, across outside of the member and back through its other passageway to continue on through the aligned passageway of the other member, thence acros the outside of the said other member and back through its other passageway.

3. A toy comprising a pair of members interconnected by a pin in spaced apart relation to form a spool-like body; each of said members being provided with a pair of longitudinal passageways therethrough, the passageways of one member being longitudinally aligned with those of the other member; and a string having one end secured to said body and carried from said securement slidingly through said passageways to form a loop portion exposed on the outer face of each of said members between the respective passageways thereof, and thence from the inner end of one of said passageways outwardly between said members by a free length, whereby said free length may be retracted by pulling said loop portions outwardly from said members; the securing of said string end being by engagement about said pin, from which engagement the threading of the string comprises carrying the string outwardly through a passageway of one member, across outside of the member and back through its other passageway to continue on through the aligned passageway of the other member, thence across the outside of the said other member and back through its other passageway; and a button carried by the free end of said string and of suificient dimensions to prevent its being entered in said space.

4. A toy comprising a pair of members interconnected by a pin in spaced apart relation to form a spool-like body; each of said members being provided with a pair of longitudinal passageways therethrough, the passageways of one member being longitudinally aligned with those of the other member; and a string having one end secured to said body and carried from said securement slidingly through said passageways to form a loop portion exposed on the outer face of each of said members between the respective passageways thereof, and thence from the inner end of one of said passageways outwardly between said members by a free length, whereby said free length may be retracted by pulling said loop portions outwardly from said members; said string end securement being by a knot thereon on the outer side of one of said members; and the threading of the string consisting of having the string extend from said knot through a passageway of said one member, across said space and through the aligned passageway of the other of said members; across the outside of the said other member and back through its other passageway across said space out through the aligned passageway of said one member; across the outside of that one member and thence back through the other of its passageways into space.

CHARLES H. KUHN. 

